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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#97: Window of Opportunity

Windows let us see and be seen. These openings to the outside world (or the indoors world, depending on where you’re standing) have been so important in connecting our individual isolations during the pandemic. And beyond their presence in our daily lives, windows frequently feature in art and cinema: from Edward Hopper’s famous paintings of nightly urban scenes to films like The Woman in the Window or The Neighbors’ Window, glimpses into the lives of others have always been a source of wonder and curiosity.

Speaking of which, wonder and curiosity are promising feelings to tap into when you're responding to this week’s prompts. Apart from the literal gazing in and out of windows, you can also pass through magic ones, or develop a story around a window-related event. And if you happen to passionately loathe windows, I’ve got a metaphorical one for you to get creative with. Have fun!

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character looking out of a window in the middle of the night.

Horror – 340 stories

Write a story in which a window is broken or found broken.

Dark – 142 stories

Write a story that involves a magic window — or a window like no other.

Fantasy – 154 stories

Start your story with an unexpected knock on a window.

Dark – 138 stories

Set your story within a window of opportunity, when a character finally has the chance to do something.

Middle School – 144 stories

Stories

“A TEXAS SUMMER DOTTED WITH BLOOD” by Anuthaman The_ripper

Submitted to Contest #97

He got up in the middle of the night in a startled way. He was staring out of the window which was beside his bed. He saw a canal rushing. Looking closer, for a split second, he thought it was blood. It was just sewage water, shouldn’t he be relieved? He wasn’t. He had seen a figure he thought he would never ever see again. He thought the figure was dead until… It all started in the summer of 1969. Texas in June was a nightmare. Ajax was just reading The Daily. It had a two page article on a serial killer who had been associated with 90 mi...

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“I Never Said That We Would Die Together” by Kate Strong

Submitted to Contest #97

It all happened in what seemed like a fraction of a second. The pain was so intense that it was tangible, and I almost crumpled to the floor in an agonized heap. I was shaking, shaking so hard that I couldn’t see straight and I couldn’t help but to grip the edge of the table before I passed out. I blinked twice past tears that seemed to feel like they belonged in my eyes, but I couldn’t cry. All I could do was to stare at the ceiling with lips trembling and the taste of blood i...

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“A window is broken or Found broken” by Sayyed Sayyada

Submitted to Contest #97

It started with one of the stormiest nights the Briggs family had ever since. Hammering rain and icy winds, thunder, and lighting rattling their measly cottage. Travis Briggs, the eldest of the Briggs children, was shaking. He was a bully and hot-headed, but thunder made him scared straight. Milly, the second eldest, was delighted! She loved storms and often dreams of becoming a meteorologist. She was looking out the window, smiling wildly. Then there was Junior, the youngest. He sat on the ground, not fazed at all the commotion of his famil...

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“Un-shattered dreams” by Phil Manders

Submitted to Contest #97

Rosa opened her eyes, her heart fluttering in her throat. Was this a dream? She lay still. Barely daring to draw another breath.She listened.A perfect June dawn bathed Rosa in a calm delicate light. It nudged at the white cotton curtains, teasing the sleeping bedroom with glimpses of a glorious deep blue sky, filling the room with salty honeysuckled air.Just outside the cottage window, a bumble bee drifted between the flowers, before starting his engines and taki...

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“The Man in Black” by Kirrtanaa Thanesh

Submitted to Contest #97

Nick tossed about in bed. He couldn’t sleep. He gave up trying to keep his eyes shut because he knew it was useless. And his pillow was on the wrong side of the bed. Nick sat up and put the pillow on the right side of the bed. He straightened his blankets and lay down on the bed, still unable to sleep. He stared at his ceiling. And then he stared at the window. There was the moon. How round and bright it was. He got up and went to the window to get a closer look. Nick admired the moon. He lived in a flat on the 7th floor. Fr...

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“Fallen Family” by Advik Godbole

Submitted to Contest #97

I ducked under the police tape and opened the creaky door. Officers nodded at me as I went by. I nodded back and headed upstairs. I removed my coat and handed it off to one of the officers there.She took it without complaint. She didn't meet my eyes, which was just as good. I opened the door of my sister's room and headed inside. There was a wrap over her body. The window off to the side was broken.They hadn't moved her until I had gotten there. I removed the top half of the covering. My sister's face seemed serene in death. It didn't look l...

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“The Universal Window” by Annette Schmidt

Submitted to Contest #97

“Hey man I got it!” Aaron shouted running across the college courtyard towards Liam who was sitting, slouched under a shady tree.Liam looked up to find Aaron waving a single piece of paper above his head triumphantly. “Yea right, there’s no way that thing is authentic. How much did you pay for it?” Liam replied suspiciously.“It’s real, trust me.” Aaron said curling himself over his legs to catch his breath.“Let me see.” Liam demanded. Aaron thrusted the paper towards his friend before sinking himself onto the cool grass next to Liam.“Ho...

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“The window of feelings” by Florencia Menna

Submitted to Contest #97

John is a young man in his thirties who has not had much satisfaction in life. He was born in a small town and grew up in another where everyone observed his behavior and if he fulfilled-the-foundations-of-life, that is: study, marry, have children and a good job, but John could not achieve anything of that in his life. One autumn day, tired of waiting for life to smile on him, he decided to take a vacation and visit different places within his country for which he decided to stay in hostels or country houses. He did not want to go to big ...

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“Windows to The Soul” by Robert Ryder

Submitted to Contest #97

WINDOWS TO THE SOUL By Robert Alan Ryder It was Monday the fifteenth of the year nineteen ninety three… I had gotten accustomed to the savage sounds of the blizzard’s- howling winds, and the frigid cold temperatures just enough to sleep. Food, it was rather light for me- all that was necessary, I shared it- with family: my wife Mary and our son and daughter James and Ruth… I had been abruptly awakened on this day by the continual sounds of someone- knocking. Knocking and unexpected rapping on my bedroom window, and I could see vaguel...

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“True wealth” by Rayz Farah

Submitted to Contest #97

Once upon a time, there lived a very rich and wealthy man in a big town. He led a luxurious life. He always boasted about his wealth to his friends and relatives. His son was studying in a distant city and he returned home for vacation. The rich man wanted to show off to his son how rich he was. But his son wasn't fond of any luxurious lifestyle. However, the rich man wanted to make his son realize that his lifestyle was extremely rich and that poor people suffered a lot. He planned a day's visit to the entire town to show him the life of th...

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“LONDON'S FAVOURITE DAUGHTER” by Sudhir Menon

Submitted to Contest #97

Wilma woke up in the dead of night to use the washroom. Even at the ripe age of eighty-one, she was fully in control of her senses and could move around unaided. As she was returning to her bedside, she happened to glance through the open window. A glimmer of light probably five hundred metres away, drew her closer to the window. It was a clear night with a full moon shining above in a starry sky. The light source appeared to be a powerful torch and Wilma could now discern with the help of a pair of field glasses, which was always kept handy...

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“"Except Me"” by Lucky Loxley

Submitted to Contest #97

Broken window. What did it mean? In a dream it means stress, and anxiety. In real life, sometimes it's due to that ball you weren’t allowed to play with inside. Or a crime. A broken window can mean a lot of things. Most people witness a broken window. They see a broken window. They watch a window get broken. But nobody’s ever been one. Except me. A broken window I am. I used to reflect people. I see one person setting a trend and the next second I'm a part of that trend too. I see a purple handbag and the next second I have one. I’ve always ...

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“Peachcroft Woods” by Colin Devonshire

Submitted to Contest #97

“Go on, get it. What a baby!” said Perks. “Go on then you get it,” said Gums. “I’m not getting it, you kicked it, you fetch it!” ordered Smithy. I looked at my friends. No one budged. Myself included. We all lived on a council-run estate, some of our families bought their home, some chose to rent. It was a great little place to grow up in. But, a change was coming for us. Next term we would be moving to senior schools. But for now, we were enjoying our last summer holiday, all our mates at the same school. You entered our estate ...

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“A Promise” by Nithyasri S

Submitted to Contest #97

It was a late September night. Keith Sommers was sitting on the couch beside the window, reading a book. He tried to sleep but failed miserably. He knew that he could never forget what happened to his girlfriend, Daphne Hall. He knew it wasn't his fault she got hit by a car. But she wouldn't have gone away, running if he hadn't shouted at her.Tears threatened to fall out. He wiped his eyes and got up to get a drink. But stopped before he went out of the living room.He heard a knock. It wasn't on the front door, but the window. He cautiously ...

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“Moon and star—two halves of one whole” by Lee Disco

Submitted to Contest #97

Shattered glass litters the floor like light on a dance floor; weeds burst through the concrete of my skin to soak up the light from the gaping holes in my walls. The metal beams of the ceiling are bent and crooked and paint from hundreds of different cans and artists coat every inch of the place, laid on in thick layers overlapping in different pigments and shades and designs. I have stood in this lot for a long time. Watched as humanity flowed by like salmon swimming upstream in their little dirty jungle of a city, the slums like a ...

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$50

Prize money

921

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 11, 2021 EST

Won by Claire Lindsey 🏆

Title: In situ

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

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